I love saving money, and in the current climate I know I am not alone. I recently tried out Gousto. You are probably familiar with meal delivery boxes, but if you are not, I’ll tell you a bit about them.
The photos throughout this review are all FROM ONE BOX!
Firstly, if you are a new customer then you can benefit from a range of different ‘discount codes’. I started off with a completely free box, but I think Gousto realised the error of their ways and pulled the offer. They were probably inundated! However, you can still benefit from 65% off, which is still a total bargain!! Now, if you sign up to Gousto using my code I will receive £20 to spend with them, so my writing this is not purely altruistic – but it’s genuinely a good deal.
Anyway, common questions. Yes, you do need to sign up to a subscription, but you can cancel it (very easily) at any time. Make sure you do if you want to – but they will send emails to remind you if you have a delivery due and if you have forgotten to cancel it then you can do so at this point.
You can choose from 74 recipes, these include chicken, beef, pork and fish dishes as well as veggie/vegan and gluten free. You will see from my photos that we eat a lot of chicken!! You can choose different portion amounts, so portion size for 2 or 4 people. I get dishes for four people and it either feeds all four of us, or hubby and I have it one night and I freeze the leftovers for fancy, easy ready meals.
My feeling is that the more complex recipes (Asian style) are the best value as you get tiny packets of oils and spices that would cost a fortune if you had to buy the full size version and would probably sit at the back of the cupboard after a couple of uses. Talking of the plastic packets – there is of course an issue with single use plastics – but the veg etc is all sent without packaging.
I think it’s a great option for busy families as the recipes are relatively quick and easy. Meanwhile, anyone that has had a kitchen renovation will probably appreciate the fact that most recipes only require 1-2 pots and pans. So, you can keep your kitchen looking its very best while also cutting down on your cleaning duties. Not gonna lie, that’s easily one of the biggest selling points in my book.
The fact you won’t have loads of spices, sauces, condiments, and other containers taking up all the space is another bonus. If you are looking to adopt a more minimalist lifestyle, this could be an ingredient in the recipe for success. Regardless of whether you’ve had a kitchen makeover or not.
Ok, so, as mentioned, I took photos of yesterday’s delivery, along with the recipe cards. This delivery cost me £52. This is for 16 meals (4 recipes for 4 people). They are not tiny portions either. So this works out at £3.25 a portion. BUT – as a first time customer with 65% off this lot would have set you back £18.20, or £1.14 per meal.